Chapter 238: The Clash of Divine Wills

Rise up!

A booming sound shattered the air in the Reception Hall.

Fierce winds and swirling turbulence, as if unleashed from a divine, misty abyss, sent shockwaves through the assembly of Great Sage Woodcarving Masters watching the clash of divine wills!

Gongshu Jingjun suddenly leapt to his feet, his eyes flaring with brilliant light!

In the distance, Elder Sun—his frame withered as though half-stepping into the loam—could not help but slightly widen his tired, clouded eyes as a strange hue flickered within them.

Wh-what…

How could this be?!

Li Che’s rivals, the Great Sage Masters Yun Haiyang and Zhou Tianshui, sprang up from their throne-like chairs, their bodies surging with potent divine energy and perceptions!

They fixed their gaze on the image emerging from the divine mist.

That Demon Monkey gripped a staff and managed to force back the combined divine will of the Four Two-Hearted Great Sage Temple Spirits!

No…

How could things have turned out this way?!

Su Huai Ming, the Su Family’s Great Sage Master, sat rigidly in his chair, his smile long frozen as horror seeped into his eyes.

“What level of divine will is this? To dare have the four Two-Hearted Great Sage Temple Spirits join forces… and even attempt to face four at once?!”

Su Huai Ming’s heart trembled intensely.

Face four with one!

He had immense confidence in his own Divine Eagle Spirit.

He believed it could outshine any other, provided each confrontation was individually subdued.

Yet, before they could even synchronize their divine wills to target their enemies, the combined power of the Four Great Sage Spirits automatically surged, battering the divine image carved by Li Che!

Almost the moment that scene appeared,

Su Huai Ming knew…

The verdict was instant!

If divine wills clashed head-on, his Two-Hearted Great Sage Temple Spirit would surely pale in comparison to the demonic image crafted by Li Che!

After all, Su Huai Ming had no confidence in his Divine Eagle Spirit overpowering four adversaries at once!

“Impossible!”

Su Huai Ming’s face darkened into a grim mask!

Clenching his fingers into a fist, he glared coldly at Li Che, shrouded in the thick divine mist.

Li Che sat serenely in his chair, his expression calm as if he had foreseen every twist of fate.

Good kid…

Su Huai Ming raised his hand and flicked his fingers; a burst of divine energy shot from his fingertips, landing on the statue of the Divine Eagle.

Boom––!!!

Within the dense divine mist, pushed back by the Demon Monkey’s staff, Su Huai Ming’s Two-Hearted Great Sage Temple Spirit suddenly lifted its head, its robe flaring as it retaliated with its own staff strike.

It charged back at the Demon Monkey!

A long, piercing roar echoed!

The Demon Monkey, brandishing a golden staff modeled after the Azure Dragon, swept his crazed, merciless gaze around.

A deafening roar resounded!

Wild and crazed, it exploded into everyone’s ears!

“Join forces! What are you waiting for?!”

“Are we really going to let this kid’s Divine Eagle Spirit singlehandedly face four and reduce us to a laughingstock?”

Su Huai Ming barked coldly.

Meanwhile, Zhou Tianshui and Yun Haiyang, their eyes alight with resolve, also flicked out bursts of divine energy to stimulate their Divine Eagle Spirits!

The aged Elder Sun merely smiled, choosing to sit back down rather than join them.

“Great talents arise in every era; the old make way for the new… well, alright then.”

Gongshu Jingjun did not intervene, for everything was according to the rules.

Only by stimulating the divine will within the Divine Eagle Statue could it be fully activated.

Such regulated procedures meant that neither Gongshu Jingjun nor Li Che would interfere with the process—Li Che, in turn, could equally energize the Demon Monkey.

“Illusions—you’re all merely illusions!”

The Demon Monkey let out a thunderous roar as the Four Two-Hearted Great Sages also bellowed.

In an instant, they transformed into four streams of golden light, like four golden dragons streaking in attack!

The Demon Monkey swung his golden staff, exuding raw, domineering ferocity!

Though the staff seemed to move slowly, its speed was beyond measure!

A sudden gale blew up!

The divine mist split in two, as if a great river had been divided!

The Four Two-Hearted Great Sages scattered in four directions, each brandishing a golden staff and exuding imminent death!

This was no ordinary clash of divine wills—it was a savage, life-or-death brawl reminiscent of ancient myth!

All the gathered Woodcarving Masters trembled, their very souls quaking.

Had anyone imagined the divine duel at Shendiao Ridge could be so fierce?!

Boom––!!!

The Demon Monkey roared, his eyes afire with golden flames that pierced all illusions!

With a single swipe, it seemed to send shockwaves through the very air for hundreds of feet!

Like one stroke, he stirred an endless ocean!

A tangible wind arose, setting the entire scene of divine mist agitated and trembling!

Gongshu Jingjun’s eyes narrowed; with raised fingers he released a surge of divine energy that stabilized the chaotic mist, preventing the clash from collapsing entirely!

Roaring like relentless tides and howling winds, the sound was sharp and jarring!

A brutal staff slammed into Su Huai Ming’s Two-Hearted Great Sage—its shadow carving a comet-like blast through the air!

Thud––!!!

Su Huai Ming’s Two-Hearted Great Sage bellowed fiercely—remarkably resilient—with its staff point emitting an aura that seemed imbued with Buddha’s radiance and tranquil chants!

Each strike resembled a golden dragon, as if struck by lightning from the heavens!

In less than a heartbeat, two golden staffs clashed in midair!

The impact sent divine energy surging wildly; at the moment when the Demon Monkey and Divine Monkey clashed, it felt as if all the divine nature receded, leaving only dreadful ripples!

Then––!!!

At the moment the two staffs collided, thunder-like explosions reverberated in the hearts of every Woodcarving Master!

Dazzling golden light obscured the sky as terrifying ripples spread out in concentric circles, clearing vast stretches of blue!

Creak, creak…

The grating sound of bones and skin, like cloth being torn, echoed as if the very flesh had reached its breaking point!

Many were struck with terror!

How could the clash of divine wills generate the sound of flesh and bones scraping?!

Then—

Everyone fixed their gaze back onto the divine mist.

They saw…

Countless brilliant beams of golden light were abruptly suppressed. The roar of thunder faded, and the monkey draped in robes was hurled like a cannonball, his robe shredding into pieces and his fur stained with blood!

The Demon Monkey stood unmoving, his body growing ever more ferocious as he soared higher!

It was as if he were transforming into a primordial, rampaging beast!

His pointed fangs gleamed, each strand of fur like a sharpened steel needle, whipping through the air and carving deep furrows!

Bang––!!!

With a heavy stomp and a crushing punch, the Demon Monkey slammed into the ground. His massive frame shot skyward as each tuft of hair became a razor-sharp blade!

In the moment he burst upward, his trajectory arced like a half-moon, his eyes burning with intensity!

With one mighty swing of his Azure Dragon Golden Staff, he brought it down squarely onto Su Huai Ming’s exploding Divine Eagle Spirit!

The terrifying staff created a shockwave in the illusionary realm forged by the divine mist, a burst of explosive energy!

“Ah––!!!”

A piercing, agonizing scream erupted!

Su Huai Ming’s Two-Hearted Great Sage was struck squarely on the head, shattering in an explosive burst!

Crack!

A faint sound of breaking fragments echoed in every ear.

Inside the Reception Hall.

Su Huai Ming’s face drained of color; as he staggered to his feet, his body wavered, his breath coming in ragged gasps while his eyes flashed with relentless fury!

Defeated!

The divine image he had carved had been shattered!

Amid the clash…

Li Che’s youthful Divine Eagle Spirit had been brutally pulverized!

Su Huai Ming gritted his teeth until his molars almost shattered.

He glanced at the Two-Hearted Great Sage statue arranged on the prayer mat, only to see a crack running through its head as overwhelming divine energy seeped out.

Ruined!

That Divine Eagle was utterly wasted—of no value, unable even to inspire a single spark of divine energy for cultivation.

Now… it was nothing more than scrap!

“It’s all because of that Spirit Wood! Bloodfire Bodhi Wood… it was merely Sixth-Stage Timber. That kid managed to snatch it up!”

Su Huai Ming stood up and said coldly.

Of course, everyone knew he was just making excuses for his failure.

But there was indeed a gap between a Divine Eagle carved from Fifth-Stage Spirit Wood and one from Sixth-Stage Timber—even if when divine wills clash…

the material difference is considerably diminished.

Su Huai Ming’s face contorted in anger.

There was no helping it; everything was set in stone. His victory at the Shendiao Ridge Elder Assessment had seemed assured—he was destined to become the next Elder.

Instead, he became the first to be eliminated!

Li Che’s carved Divine Eagle Spirit was not only domineering enough to face four but also managed to dispatch his own spirit first!

Humiliation!

Su Huai Ming cast a lingering, resentful glance at Li Che, who sat on the throne-like chair with a gentle smile.

He vowed to remember that face, that name…

With an angry snort, Su Huai Ming left the Reception Hall in a sweeping motion, his grand sleeves billowing as he strode away.

He couldn’t be bothered to follow the remaining clash of divine wills.

Who won the clash and ultimately became the new Elder of Shendiao Ridge no longer mattered to him.

After all, that Elder title would never be his.

It was natural that Su Huai Ming had no interest.

Many of the surrounding Woodcarving Masters watched him with strange expressions.

Some, who had once praised him and even intended to call him Elder Su,

now found it absurd that he was the first to fall!

This…

This was downright embarrassing.

Fortunately, no one ended up calling him Elder Su.

Otherwise, he would have earned Su Huai Ming’s lifelong grudge—after all, as a Su Family Great Sage Master, his carving technique was superb, but his heart was small!

And his departure went almost unnoticed.

Everyone once again subdued their minds, staring in astonishment at the unfolding clash in the divine mist!

The Divine Eagle’s spirit…

Could it really be this formidable?

The mist roiled!

Within the self-contained divine mist, the scene was vividly replayed.

One shattered Two-Hearted Great Sage spirit dissolved into nothing, while three others continued to bellow!

The Demon Monkey clutched his Azure Dragon Staff, roared skyward, and stomped mightily, as if the very earth trembled with each step, with transparent ripples spreading tens to hundreds of feet!

Waves of divine mist were pushed aside as the Demon Monkey soared skyward like a flash of lightning!

With a single sweep, he crushed all the turbulent air into submission.

A tremendous, resounding crash!

The Divine Eagle Spirit crafted by Zhou Tianshui roared, arms intertwining, yet it could not withstand the force—it shattered as if cleaved in two!

It was unstoppable…

Absolutely unstoppable!

In the face of this terrifying Demon Monkey, every move was overwhelmingly dominant, suffocating all other divine wills.

The oppressive force even seeped into their hearts through their divine wills!

Boom, boom, boom––!!!

The Demon Monkey’s clenched fingers seemed to crush the very air and wind as one staff strike sent a Two-Hearted Great Sage spirit flying, followed by a crushing punch!

His eyes sparked with blazing golden fire, his fists as brilliant as the sun!

It was as if he were about to shatter the very sky itself!

Thunk––!!!

The unified, incandescent, pristine fist completely pulverized Zhou Tianshui’s Great Sage Spirit.

Furthermore, the thrown Azure Dragon Staff was snatched up again by the Demon Monkey, who, with one swift motion, smashed the dispersed air, shattering Yun Haiyang’s Great Sage Spirit in one explosive blow!

In almost a single breath, two Two-Hearted Great Sage Spirits were consecutively obliterated!

Crack, crack!

Two sharp, shattering explosions rang out!

Zhou Tianshui and Yun Haiyang trembled, their chests heaving as anger and despair welled within.

Stunned, they looked at their own Divine Eagle Spirits, now cracking and disintegrating as divine energy spilled out, ruined completely.

Defeated…

Yet, their spirits remained far steadier than Su Huai Ming’s.

Originally, they had come prepared to challenge; they expected to lose to Su Huai Ming—but they never imagined a young man would emerge so suddenly.

Li Che’s carved Divine Eagle had not only managed to face four adversaries single-handedly but subdued all four Two-Hearted Great Sage Temple Spirits!

Truly…

It was exaggerated beyond belief!

Zhou Tianshui exhaled, admitting defeat with reluctant respect.

After all, when someone wins by facing four with one, what is there to contest?

Yun Haiyang shook his head resignedly, saying, “The youth is something else… so young yet with such a caliber in Divine Eagle carving. If he continues to refine his divine will over time, who knows what he could achieve?”

He added, “This lad could even challenge the top tier of the Four Supreme positions of the Divine Eagle Masters one day!”

His eyes gleamed with admiration.

Only after truly becoming a Great Sage would one grasp the true weight of talent…

Talent ultimately defines the ceiling of a Great Sage.

Effort may improve the present, but it can never transcend one’s inherent limit—it only accelerates reaching that limit.

Elder Sun sat with a withered gaze, his eyes slowly opening and closing.

“Excellent!”

He laughed heartily.

A youth like this inheriting his Elder title was a prospect he welcomed gladly.

“Let me see… just how high has that Demon Monkey’s divine will soared!”

Elder Sun rose from his chair.

Gongshu Jingjun stared in surprise.

“Elder Sun…”

But Elder Sun merely waved his hand dismissively.

“I have dedicated my life to Shendiao Ridge, carving wood for decades. Alas, my talent was limited; I never could take that final step. Still, I remain a Fifth-Stage Great Sage.”

“I can feel the fierce divine will of this Divine Eagle. Before my final moments, I witnessed true divine talent!”

“How exhilarating… yet it leaves me yearning for more!”

Elder Sun’s hunched figure slowly straightened.

He gazed at the Demon Monkey, its golden, coiled staff in hand, as it advanced steadily within the tumultuous divine mist toward his carved Divine Eagle Spirit.

For the first time in ages, fierce passion lit Elder Sun’s eyes.

“Eagle Master, let me see…”

“Before I depart this world, may I truly sense the grandeur of Divine Eagle Art!”

Boom––!!!

Elder Sun pressed his finger to his brow, and in the next moment, a surging torrent of divine energy burst forth from his frail body,

infusing the Two-Hearted Great Sage Divine Eagle he had carved.

As the Elder of Shendiao Ridge, he was well-versed in observing the Temple Spirit of the Bizarre Temple for decades.

Thus, compared to Su Huai Ming, Zhou Tianshui, Yun Haiyang, and the others,

Elder Sun possessed the deepest foundation!

His observation of divine will… was unparalleled!

It was as if he had poured two lifetimes worth of insight into the Divine Eagle,

breathing true life back into it!

“Great Sage… Descend!”

Elder Sun murmured.

Boom––!!!

In the midst of the divine mist,

it was as if two primordial beasts had awakened from aeons of silence, ushering in a torrent of unchecked energy as the divine mist roiled and fumed!

The entire Reception Hall seemed shrouded in an oppressive aura.

A terrifying weight descended like collapsing mountains from the phantom mist,

rolling out in unstoppable waves!

“What…”

“What is happening here?”

“Elder Sun… how can your Divine Eagle Spirit be this powerful?”

“So this is Elder Sun’s true strength? Three years ago, Master Su almost bested you, yet now it appears Elder Sun holds nothing back!”

The surrounding Great Sage Masters were all dumbfounded!

One after another, their scalps tingled with dread as their hearts pounded in terror.

Yun Haiyang of the Yun Family and Zhou Tianshui of the Zhou Family slumped down in their chairs, silently in awe.

They stared blankly.

…

…

As heavy snowstorm raged, flakes the size of hands swirled wildly through heaven and earth.

Yet inside the Shendiao Ridge Reception Hall, silence reigned.

Two Divine Eagles rested on a prayer mat, trembling slightly as if thousands of scintillating sparks danced off them.

Amid the divine mist,

a deep rumble––!!!

Thunderous explosions resounded as Elder Sun’s Divine Eagle Spirit suddenly swelled, its Buddha robe tearing apart under immense pressure.

It transformed into a ferocious Demon Monkey!

It rose high, its body alight with wild, flailing fur, muscles piling upon one another with explosive force…

Clutching the golden staff, it bore an uncanny resemblance to the Divine Eagle Spirit carved by Li Che!

In that moment…

Zhou Tianshui and Yun Haiyang trembled in fear.

They realized that what they had carved as the Temple Spirit was merely its facade.

But Elder Sun and Li Che… had unveiled the true essence behind the Temple Spirit!

They… were defeated without blame.

At last, the two finally felt a sense of relief.

After all, how could they claim victory when they hadn’t even glimpsed the Temple Spirit’s second form?

In the midst of the divine mist…

Two colossal primates, swinging their golden staffs, stood on the earth as if mountains were mere mounds underfoot, locked in a fierce stare.

One had eyes ablaze with golden fire, the other radiated gleaming light!

They roared––!!!

The two rampaging primates bellowed as they clashed, their staffs and fists colliding with earth-shattering force!

Thud!

It was as if a fallen star had smashed into the ground!

A burst of dazzling brilliance exploded, drawing every Great Sage Master’s gaze as the shockwave spread out in concentric circles!

The raging currents of air swept around like a howling hurricane!

It was the apocalyptic scene of destruction—akin to two Great Sage Masters reenacting an ancient brawl between two rampaging primates!

Staffs clashed, fists met!

The heavens were rent and dust swirled like a tumbling earth-dragon!

Such a spectacle was nothing short of earth-shattering, as if it replayed the very trials the Temple Spirit had endured, all through the conduit of divine will!

It allowed countless Great Sage Masters, separated by time and space, to witness this cataclysmic Demon Monkey war!

It was utterly devastating and terrifying!

What once seemed like a mere game for the Two-Hearted Great Sage Temple Spirit was revealed as the stark truth!

It was all just the false roar of Li Che’s carved Divine Eagle Spirit, as proclaimed by the Demon Monkey!

Many Great Sage Masters felt that this time was truly worth witnessing.

Compared to the divine duel between Su Huai Ming and Elder Sun three years ago, this was nothing more than child’s play.

It was as if Elder Sun had been toying with a child!

If Elder Sun had unleashed his second form that day, Su Huai Ming wouldn’t have merely been bested—he would have been utterly routed!

And so utterly defeated!

“Alright, alright!”

Elder Sun trembled violently, his eyes wide as he fixed them on the raging clash within the divine mist.

In that moment, he almost sensed the fervor, the exhilaration, and the… joy of the Two-Hearted Great Sage Temple Spirit!

Perhaps…

this was exactly what the Two-Hearted Great Sage Temple Spirit had always yearned for!

It was the true emotion embedded in the Temple Spirit’s idol!

Elder Sun’s body shook uncontrollably.

But…

something was still missing.

Blood streaks appeared in his eyes as his unsteady body betrayed his strain.

He mustered his remaining strength, biting his teeth to force himself up.

“So close…”

“So close—I almost could feel it.”

Elder Sun gasped heavily.

Gongshu Jingjun, seated on his throne-like chair, flicked his fingers as divine energy surged to maintain the chaotic mist.

He glanced at Elder Sun, whose flushed, dying demeanor resembled a final burst of life, and sighed deeply.

Elder Sun had spent two full life-cycles refining the perfect Temple Spirit idol over 120 years.

Yet even after two cycles, he still felt something was amiss…

Always a sense of incompleteness…

Gongshu Jingjun’s gaze shifted to Li Che.

Recalling that streak of divine energy emerging from the mist, he transmitted a message to Li Che: “Would you ensure that the old man leaves with no regrets?”

Li Che, sitting solemnly in his chair, paused momentarily at Gongshu Jingjun’s inquiry.

He then looked to Elder Sun—the latter, trembling and flushed as though his remaining lifeforce burned bright…

Li Che exhaled deeply.

Then he nodded.

He no longer looked at Elder Sun…

In the next moment, Li Che raised his hand and touched his brow.

Inside the inner realm of the Mud Pellet,

divine energy roiled like a vast tide crashing relentlessly.

Amid the surging tides of divine energy, the Luminous True Primate sat cross-legged upon the divine foundation.

Suddenly,

the Luminous True Primate slowly opened his eyes…

Clear and profound, as if wisdom itself flowed within!

Li Che’s eyes opened, and in an instant, the divine energy intertwined with the Divine Eagle.

The celestial…

Descension had arrived!

Let the old man bear witness…

to the true Great Sage!

Within the divine mist,

the two fiercely clashing Demon Monkeys suddenly shuddered violently.

One of the Two-Hearted Demon Monkeys was abruptly seized by a fist, hurling it violently aside.

And Li Che’s carved Demon Monkey Spirit, its eyes briefly flaring, became strikingly clear.

As if true divine will had descended.

“Liu Er.”

A deep voice thundered through the tidal waves of divine energy.

The Demon Monkey, flung forcefully to the ground and kneeling on one knee, raised its head; the madness in its eyes slowly subsided at the sound of “Liu Er.”

“Liu Er… regrets beget enlightenment!”

“Regret turning to Buddhahood.”

The True Primate slowly tilted his head back, his hair billowing as he sighed softly.

In the next moment, fingers clenched!

Boom––!!!

Terrifying divine energy continued to swell as the mist roiled relentlessly, on the verge of collapse.

Boom!

The True Primate stepped forward; his hand-like foot slammed onto the ground!

In that instant, it was as if hundreds of Guanyin Lotus Bullets exploded simultaneously, the entire illusory earth trembling like countless earth dragons rising!

Endless waves of mud, sand, and stones surged like a tidal curtain, soaring a hundred feet high!

And the Demon Monkey, transformed from the Two-Hearted Great Sage, violently reclaimed its ferocious glare.

With a long howl!

But the towering True Primate now stood before the Demon Monkey’s form!

A fist crashed down!

An endless barrage of explosive, radiant light blotted out the divine mist, leaving no trace of brilliance.

In the end…

through the swirling divine mist, everyone could barely see a horrifying scene: one Demon Monkey dragging another’s corpse, piece by piece disappearing in the radiant explosion.

Crack––!

A thunderous explosion, like rolling thunder in the heavens, resounded.

It startled every Great Sage Master immersed in the divine mist!

Then they saw: Elder Sun’s Divine Eagle had suddenly exploded, shattered into fragments with Spirit Wood shards scattered everywhere.

Yet Li Che’s carved Divine Eagle now sat serenely on the prayer mat.

It was over.

At that moment, every Great Sage Master understood who had ultimately claimed the Elder title at the Shendiao Ridge Assessment.

“Pfft––!!!”

At the instant the Divine Eagle exploded, Elder Sun spat blood from his mouth, a thick mist of blood billowing out.

“Hahaha––”

“I understand now. I have truly witnessed it!”

Elder Sun’s face turned ashen, yet he burst into hearty laughter.

As he laughed, murky tears rolled from the corners of his eyes.

“After 120 years and two cycles of Temple Spirit, now I know… the Great Sage regrets turning to Buddhahood!”

Elder Sun panted heavily as his divine energy began to dissipate wildly into the heavens and earth.

His life force waned like a landslide in an instant.

He collapsed onto his chair, a withered, desiccated old tree.

The flame of life, like a cold gust, could be snuffed out in an instant!

Li Che rose from his chair, his gaze complex as he looked upon the aged Great Sage Master.

“Thank you, my friend.”

Elder Sun fell silent, offering Li Che a grateful smile.

Coughing repeatedly, he produced a piece of mundane wood devoid of any spirit.

Then he took out a carving knife and began etching on the plain wood.

Scratch, scratch, scratch––

A profound silence settled over the Reception Hall.

Every Woodcarving Master watched in silence as the old man’s knife tore into the wood and his coughs broke the stillness.

His trembling hand worked steadily.

Slowly, a Two-Hearted Great Sage Temple Spirit emerged on the wood.

The old man sank back into his chair, gasping for breath, his chest rhythmically heaving like a bellows.

Then he looked up at Li Che.

“To learn the Way by morning, even if I die by evening, it is enough.”

“I have observed the Temple Spirit for 120 years—today I understand its divine will.”

“Today, this old man has finally glimpsed a path to become one of the Four Supreme Divine Eagle Masters…”

A trace of regret shone in his eyes.

“Master Li, thank you for fulfilling my wish…”

“I present this statue to you—though alas… I did not have the strength to complete it…”

“Will you finish carving it for me?”

Li Che was momentarily taken aback by these words.

“Alright.”

Without further hesitation, Li Che nodded immediately.

However,

the old man did not reply.

Clutching the Two-Hearted Great Sage Temple Spirit statue, his life faded away.

Meanwhile,

the shattered wood carvings of the Temple Spirit by Su Huai Ming, Zhou Tianshui, Yun Haiyang, and the other masters, along with their spilled divine energy…

were chaotically drawn into

the Divine Eagle carved from the most ordinary wood.

Seven-thousand Words. Last night I stayed up too late. Today I was a bit off, but my wife’s milk tea helped me recover. I promise to finish the second update tonight. Please vote monthly, recommend, and keep reading! Your support matters!